All things Japanese

"I will sell my babies through the Internet"

This is a quote mentioned by my lecturer today out of pure accident. We were copywriting for a promotional headline from a child's perspective on promoting an IT related cost, I mentioned about I will sell my toys through the internet. I guess she shouldn't have a baby after all.

This is just one of the funny moments today because it was in a serious setting and that quote broke the monotony of seriousness.

I have received approval of a Japanese student who wil come over to stay at my house ! Woo hoo, it will only be for 2 days but cultural exchanges are so fun with those hand gestures and reading of facial expressions.

I remember when I went to Miyazaki for 7 days and had a home stay there with a typical Japanese family for 3 days. It was an unnverving experience as survival depended on them if they choose to feed you or eat you up like sushi and feed your bones to the dog. The father was an English teacher at an elementary junior high so that helped alot. I heard from many students of communication breakdown so I guess I'm fortunate.

Not to digress, as a "Gaijin" there, the first issue was bathing, we had to shower off all the dirt, grease and dog drool and then soak in a bath tub. Everytime the family allow me to go first. I showered, but avoided the tub. I can't imagine a family of 4 will soak in tub of same water. It's pretty unnerving.

Did I really face culture shock ? Frankly, i don't think so because I appreciate and like the Japanese way of life of being efficieny and cleanliness. It might seem like a schizophrenic fetish for hygenic stools to sit on because they want to increase their life expectency.

Their daughter who was 9, came to Singapore and lived with me for a couple of days. I am no paedophille but she is the most cuddly and most cherub face you could associate back then and everybody tease me about me and my "future wife". Hello ? 9 years old ..... I'm twice her age. My parents pampered her when she came, I suspect because of the lack of daughters in the family, my parents went on a shopping splurge for her in chinatown and got her anything she want. Was I envious ? nope. This was the only time that Mia (her name) came to Singapore. You could say a chance of a decade because when you have been someone once, you wouldn't want to come back again. The been-there-seen-that attitude.

A male university student from Tokyo is coming down. He is here on an English speaking immersion programme, lets see how his Engrish fares. I just want to see if Japanese has this particular idiosyncrasy which is evident with every Japanese that comes to Singapore. (I have met like 8 Jap. students and all of them shared this.)

They are curious about our Merlion.

Hell, we Singaporeans don't even care how the Lion shagged the mermaid and ended up at our fishing village. Our discoverer , Sang Nila Ut-cockeye-ma could not possible have seen a Lion because our historians say that only tigers exist here. Oh well, mistakes do happen. But this mistake makes people from the outside world that our descadents were merfolk that got pregnant with seed of the king of the jungle.

- Benjamin